This movie veteran has starred with Johnny Depp in "Pirates of
the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and Patrick Stewart in
"Star Trek: Generations." Her likeness was used in
Disney's animated "Treasure Planet."

Now she is coming to visit her fans in Marina del Rey.

The 112-foot brig Lady Washington is scheduled to dock at Marina
del Rey at 4 p.m. Thursday and stay for public tours, adventure sails
and battle re-enactments through Dec. 18. She'll be joined by the
103-foot topsail ketch the Hawaiian Chieftain.

The two ships visit nearly 50 port communities each year,
specifically aiming to educate children about maritime history.

"The focus is on the golden age of exploration and trade,
California history," said Les Bolton, executive director of the
Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, the Aberdeen, Wash.-based
nonprofit organization that has arranged to bring the ships to Southern
California.

Guests can sail on the tall ship or experience the life of sailors
in the 1700s. All dockside tours and sailings will feature crew members
dressed in period costumes.

Among the activities planned are two types of three-hour public
sailings. During the Adventure Sails, the crew will be dressed in
18th-century costumes and will lead passengers on board, sharing tall
ship history and lore.

In the Battle Sails adventure, the Lady Washington and Hawaiian
Chieftain will engage in mock battles.

"A lot of what you see in Hollywood about sea battles is based
on perceptions," Bolton said. "The reality is quite a
different story. The battles that took place in the sea were extremely
tactical. Ships would be fighting each other for days, without firing a
single shot. The aim was not to destroy the opponent's ship. If you
risk your life to fight the ship -- and destroy it -- you lose, because
you don't get anything back. The aim was to disable the opponent
and force the ship to surrender."

"In the 1750s, when the original Lady Washington was built,
there were no roads," Bolton said. "There was no way to get
from Boston to New Bedford, unless you were going to sail. That's
what Lady Washington was used for."

In the 1770s, during the American Revolution, the original Lady
Washington fought as a privateer out of the colony of Massachusetts.

Modeled after an 18th-century 90-ton trading vessel of the same
name, the current Lady Washington was built for the Washington State
Centennial celebrations in 1989, and is now the state's official
ship.

The Hawaiian Chieftain was constructed in 1988 in Maui, replicating
a traditional design. Before being acquired by the Grays Harbor
Historical Seaport Authority, the Hawaiian Chieftain was known as the
Spirit of Larinda.